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Monday, December 12, 2016

Crittenden teens get Chromebooks Wednesday

Christmas is coming early this year to students at Crittenden County High School.

On Wednesday, students will have the opportunity to pick up their new Google Chromebooks at #ChromeConnect as part of an initiative recently passed by Crittenden County Board of Education to provide personal computing devices to all students in grades 6-12. Parents or guardians and their student with last names A-L should report to the Crittenden County Middle School gymnasium at 5 p.m. Students with last names M-Z should report to the gym at 6 p.m.

Students at the middle school will also be receiving Chromebooks following Christmas break.

Following a brief presentation on usage and care, high school students and their parents or guardians will go into the adjoining multi-purpose room to sign necessary papers and pick up their new devices. A technology fee of $20 must be paid at that time in order for a student to bring the device home.

This fee also will serve as self-insurance in the event the device needs repairs. If the $20 fee is paid, students will pay 50 percent of the cost of repairs. If the fee is unpaid, students will be allowed to use the device at school only and will be responsible for 100 percent of repair fees.

Superintendent Vince Clark hopes all high school students will take advantage of the opportunity to use the devices both at home and school.

“The one-to-one technology initiative opens so many windows of opportunity for our students,” said Clark. “Taking the device home with them affords them to complete projects at home, work on downloaded assignments and, for those with internet at home, research and perform web-based tasks.”

Clark said access to other websites and social media apps will be accessible only after school hours so students can use the device in their free time when schoolwork is completed. The school is filtering access to other sites it deems inappropriate for student access.

“We want students to take the Chromebooks home and use them,” said Clark. “The learning opportunity this presents for our teachers and students is amazing.”

The superintendent said teachers have received training on platforms such as Google Classroom to technologically enhance classroom learning.

“For the first time in our district, every student at the high school and middle school will have equal access to technology, which levels the playing field, so to speak,” she said. “Many of our students do not have access to technology at home, and this initiative now allows them to have the same opportunities to learn as their peers. As one student told me, this would be his very first computer.”

Quertermous added that while technology cannot replace good teaching, it definitely can enhance quality instruction.